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Topic: Malankara Syriac liturgy (Read 801 times)

I have been taking an iconography course from an Oriental Orthodox woman, and today I went to their Divine Liturgy. It was very beautiful, I like how it emphasizes the Church as the Bride of Christ and the Eucharist as the marriage consummation. Anyways, I was wondering about the practice of Absolution before the liturgy. The priest invited everyone to come receive absolution, Oriental Orthodox or not, so naturally I went up. I thought it was going to be some "pronouncement of forgiveness" but what happened sounded like the sacramental absolution in confession, it was something like "...and I His unworthy priest, forgive you all your sins in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit". What's the deal with that??? Did I receive the sacrament of absolution/confession? If not, what is the significance of doing this before liturgy? If it was the sacrament, then am I in troble with the Eastern Orthodox Church now?? Oh and another thing: He invited Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox to communion(I did not commune since I am a catechumen still), is that normal? I thought the Malankara Church received these two groups through communion alone, so does that mean that the one Roman Catholic who did commune this morning is now(unknowingly) Oriental Orthodox?